Joel McCrea Ranch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Joel McCrea Ranch
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Two unidentified lesser buildings, perhaps non-contributing ones
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| Location | 4500 N. Moorpark Rd., Thousand Oaks, California |
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| Area | 220 acres (89 ha) |
| Built | 1933 |
| Built by | Winget, Glenn O. |
| Architect | Byers, John |
| Architectural style | ranch style |
| NRHP reference No. | 97000295 |
| Added to NRHP | April 18, 1997 |
The Joel McCrea Ranch in Thousand Oaks, California is also known as the August DuMortier Ranch. It's a special place because it's one of the few remaining large cattle ranches and grain fields that used to fill the Santa Rosa and Conejo valleys in eastern Ventura County.
This ranch was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. This means it's recognized as an important historical site. The ranch has over 220 acres of land. It includes eight important buildings and four important structures. One building is very old, dating back to 1890 from August DuMortier's time. The main house, a unique avocado-shaped swimming pool, and a poolhouse were built in 1933. Other buildings, like a maid's house, were added later.
The Joel McCrea Ranch Story
This ranch is historically important because of its connection to actor Joel McCrea. He was a big movie star. The main house and some other buildings were designed by architect John Byers. He was a famous architect known for his adobe and Spanish Colonial Revival designs. The Joel McCrea ranch house was a special design for him. It was an early example of the informal California Ranch style. This style was just starting to become popular in Southern California.
The Norwegian Grade Road
The ranch is located at the bottom of the Norwegian Grade. This road was built by settlers around 1900. The Norwegian Colony was at the north end of the Conejo Valley. They needed a safe way to transport their hay, wheat, and barley. This road helped them move their crops to the Oxnard Plain. From there, the grain could be sent to places like San Francisco and England through the Hueneme Wharf.
Giving Back to the Community
The McCrea family gave several hundred acres of their ranch land to the new Conejo Valley YMCA. This donation helped the city of Thousand Oaks, California. Both the YMCA and the city celebrated their 40th anniversaries in 2004.
